Mastering Lateral Attorney Recruitment: 6 Expert Insights and Innovative Strategies

Enhancing Your Firm's Talent Acquisition with Proven Techniques and Flo Recruit

It may not be as high drama as the balls of Regency London, or even as overwrought as a rose ceremony, but embarking on the journey of lateral recruitment can often feel akin to navigating the complexities of dating – it requires finesse, empathy, and clear communication. 

As Michael Nguyen, Director of Talent Acquisition at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, wisely observes, "Recruiting is like dating. The candidate has to hear from you on a regular basis or he/she thinks you are not into him/her!" 

Working closely with professionals in the field, Flo Recruit understands the importance of fostering genuine connections with candidates while streamlining processes for optimal outcomes. Drawing from our collective experiences and the insights of noted legal recruiting professionals, let's explore actionable advice on achieving favorable outcomes in lateral recruitment.  

From maintaining open lines of communication to leveraging data-driven strategies, here's how you can navigate the recruitment landscape with confidence and efficacy:

1. Prioritize Communication and Transparency: Effective communication lies at the heart of successful recruitment endeavors. Make it a priority to keep candidates informed at every stage of the process. Transparency regarding firm expectations, timelines, and feedback fosters trust and cultivates positive relationships with candidates. 

Flo Recruit Applicant Tracking System (ATS) facilitates direct communication with candidates, ensuring timely responses to inquiries and transparent updates on the firm's needs and expectations. By maintaining open lines of communication, recruiters build trust and rapport with candidates, ultimately enhancing the candidate experience.

2. Provide a Positive Experience for Internal Stakeholders: Creating a positive recruitment experience extends beyond just candidates; it encompasses the entire ecosystem of recruitment teams and attorneys involved in the interview process. 

With Flo Recruit ATS, the focus on fostering a positive experience begins with streamlined processes that alleviate burdens for internal stakeholders in the lateral attorney recruitment process. By tracking candidates' journeys and storing all relevant documents, schedules, and feedback in one accessible platform, the burden on attorneys and recruiters is significantly reduced. This centralized system streamlines the interview process and facilitates efficient feedback sharing, ensuring candidates progress smoothly through each stage. The focus on fostering a positive experience extends beyond mere convenience, as it cultivates a culture of respect and collaboration within the firm. 

3. Understand Firm Needs and Objectives: Gain a deep understanding of your firm's business needs and objectives. This knowledge serves as a compass, guiding your recruitment efforts toward aligning with the firm's strategic goals. By understanding the firm's priorities, budget, and resources, you can effectively communicate its value proposition to prospective candidates.

Flo Recruit ATS aids this understanding by tracking candidate origins, distinguishing effective agencies, and preventing duplicate submissions. It centralizes data, enabling analysis of agencies' success rates in providing skilled, culturally aligned candidates. This insight empowers recruiters to engage search firms strategically, targeting specific practice areas or urgent staffing needs.

4. Facilitate Seamless Interview Scheduling: Simplify the interview scheduling process for both recruiters and candidates by implementing software solutions that allow for seamless coordination of interview dates, times, and locations. Integrated calendar functionalities, automated reminders, and self-scheduling options can eliminate scheduling conflicts and minimize delays in the recruitment process.

Greenberg Glusker saved up to 50% of time previously spent on interview scheduling and cut out at least ⅓ of the manual work involved in the recruitment process by using Flo Recruit, reducing complexity and manual touchpoints. 

5. Master Timing Management: Timing plays a critical role in keeping candidates engaged and moving through the recruitment pipeline. Staying attuned to the timing constraints of all stakeholders involved and proactively managing schedules to prevent delays and maintain momentum is critical to avoid top talent dropping out of the interview process due to other offers or a feeling that the firm isn’t interested in them. 

Proactively managing timelines is not just calendar Tetris™. It involves ensuring attorneys can be effective in the interview process, from finding candidate materials for review to the ease (and therefore speed) with which they can provide feedback. Flo Recruit streamlines attorney engagement, facilitating swift feedback and efficient candidate progression. Its intuitive system offers customizable invites, reminders, and detailed pipeline reporting, ensuring timely interviews and informed decision-making. 

6. Incorporate Empathy and Sensitivity into the Candidate Experience: While most recruiters might say it’s a no-brainer that firms should strive to provide candidates with a pleasant experience, what exactly that means is not as clear cut. 

Embracing empathy in lateral recruitment is crucial for cultivating positive experiences, particularly as lateral attorneys have their own networks who they may speak with about their interview experience. Candidates who feel valued are more likely to accept offers and advocate for the firm. Conversely, negative experiences can lead to talent loss and reputational damage. By prioritizing respectful and empathetic interactions, firms bolster their employer brand and mitigate legal risks. Recruiters can enhance this approach by providing timely feedback, addressing concerns promptly, and demonstrating genuine interest in candidates' career aspirations.

With Flo Recruit Applicant Tracking, firms can proactively address this by ensuring a positive and empathetic candidate experience. From timely communication to personalized interactions, every touchpoint with candidates is designed to make them feel valued and respected.

Curious about how Flo Recruit can assist in implementing these strategies and optimizing your lateral recruitment process? Discover how Kramer Levin reduced their time and effort in the lateral recruitment process by 30% through automation with Flo Recruit ATS. Or, if you’re ready to embark on your recruitment journey, reach out to Flo Recruit today.